The Republic of India is a very large country in South Asia. It has the second largest population size after China and is the largest democracy in the world. India borders Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The first traces of human civilisation date back more than 10,000 years. The region was for millennia split into independent kingdoms and empires. In the 12th Century the region was conquered by Central Asian tribes and became united under the rule of the Delhi sultanate and later the Mughal dynasty.

In the 17th and 18th century the Mughal dynasty declined and power shifted gradually to the Maratha Empire. However, from the 16th Century onwards, European powers gained more and more influence with trading posts and colonies. In the mid 19th Century all of India became a crown colony under the British Empire. During the first half of the twentieth century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress. Millions of protesters engaged in mass campaigns of civil disobedience with a commitment to non-violence, led by Mahatma Gandhi. In 1947 India became independent. India belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations.

Inhabitants: 1,120,000,000
Area: 3,300,000 km2
Capital: New Delhi (320,000 inhabitants, largest city Mumbai with 13,000,000)
Languages: Hindi, English
Religion: Hinduism (80%), Islam (13%), Christianity (2%), others (5%)
GDP (PPP) per capita: $
Government: Federal republic
Climate: The climate varies from tropical in the south to more temperate and alpine in the Himalayan north.